Memorial Day Tribute

Thanks For The Memories, Mr. Hope

Bob Hope would have been 107 today. He was born May 29 1903. He lived 100 years though, so that is a long time to spend on this earth. He must have been doing something right to live that long. On turning 100 years old, Bob quipped "I don't feel old. In fact, I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap."

Clouding the pain of his family's early poverty, Mr. Hope laughed "Four of us slept in one bed. When it got cold, mother threw on another brother."

And regarding his six brothers (he was the fifth of seven sons), "That's how I learned to dance, waiting for the bathroom."


This man did make a difference with his dedication and talent and humor. Bob Hope entertained the service men and women in locations around the world, year after year. Musicians and singers and entertainers volunteered to travel and perform everywhere Mr. Hope went.

Bob Hope starred in more than 50 feature films and appeared in cameos for another 15 -- the last being "Spies Like Us" in 1985. Mr. Hope introduced two Academy Award-winning songs: "Thanks for the Memory" with Shirley Ross in "The Big Broadcast of 1938" and "Buttons and Bows" in "The Paleface" (1948).

Oh, I think he played a little golf too.

This blog is being featured this Sunday on the Sunday Roast at Eddie Bluelight's blog Clouds and Silvery Linings.Check it out and let me know what you think.

Thank You, Jana

Little sweetie Jana over at The Little Black Book is sharing an award with me. Do you know her? She's a riot. She just got back from two week vacation so she is feeling spunky and funky. Thanks, Jana.

As usual, the same rules apply as always, just answer the questions, make up ten of your own, and pass the award on to six favorite bloggers of your own.

The questions for me to answer:

{1} Favorite childhood memory?
When I threw a mouse into bathtub when my mom was taking a bath.
{2} Favorite movie?
The Greatest Game Ever Played. Watched the movie first, then had to buy the book.
{3} Paris or London?
Paris, have been to both places.
{4} Sarcasm or Humor?
Humor; however, I can dig a little sarcasm now and then, giving and taking.
{5} The Beach or the Hills?
The hills. Always. Mountains. Trees.
{6} Dawn or dusk?
Dawn. I am definitely a morning person. Love watching the sunrise.
{7} Reading or something else?
Reading, reading and more reading. Read every day and have a book with me at all times.
{8} Favorite yesteryear movie star?
Bob Hope favorite male star, in fact, I have a post up soon honoring him.
Katharine Hepburn favorite female star, will be writing a post about her soon.
{9} Favorite snacks?
Nachos. Cheese and crackers. Potato skins with the works. I'm the queen of snacks, can make a deelishus meal out of snacks.
{10} What does getting an award mean to you?
In this context, getting this award means that someone is showing appreciation for the stuff in my little hippie blog. Makes me smile. Can you see the huge smile???

My ten questions for the blogs I pick are these astute proposals to stir up discussion:

1. What is one thing you do not want to write about in your blog?
2. If you were able to travel anyplace for a month, where would you want to go?
3. What is your favorite book reading genre?
4. How old do you have to be to consider yourself really old?
5. What part of blogging do you enjoy most?
6. If you were looking for a roommate, what is your ideal roomie?
7. What does the word spiritual mean to you?
8. How many siblings do you have?
9. Have you ever been in a car accident?
10. Do you have a pet?

Now to hand this on to six others, I choose:

Life Is What You Make It
Life With Kaishon
Scarlet Blue
Ronda's Wonderland
Carb Tripper
DJan-ity

Movers And Shakers

Maybe I have a penchant for bathrooms. I think I have shown four pictures or graphics depicting different bathrooms in posts in this little hippie blog. I like bathrooms but not so much potty talk.

Looking In The Mirror

To all the kids who survived the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s:

Many of us survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank alcohol while they were pregnant. We were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets.

As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends from one bottle. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because we were always outside playing. We would leave home in the morning and play all day as long as we were back home before dark.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendos, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround sound or CDs, no cell phones or texting, no personal computers or laptops or iPads, no internet or chat rooms. We had friends and we went outside and found them. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door and talked to them.

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past fifty years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility and we learned how to deal with it all.

I am not a huge fan of Jay Leno, but this quote is noteworthy:
"With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

The fun and funny facts in this post were in a much longer message that was forwarded to me. I did not write this but I did make some changes to it and cut out much of the longer version. I felt it was appropriate since I did not know who the author was.

Giving And Getting Whoot Whoot!!

If you want to get in on a very cool giveaway, check out Joanna's blog at The Fifty Factor.

From the first time I stumbled upon this blog, I have not missed a post. Joanna can write!! I mean, she can hold interest, she has great pictures and graphics, she even gives blogging suggestions and answers questions. She connects with people. Being a regular reader of her blog means there is truly a blogger relationship because it is not one sided.

You want to hear about Joanna's GIVEAWAY??? Well here it is....

"Thanks to the nice folks at CSN Stores, I'm giving away a $60 gift certificate good at any of their more than 200+ online stores. They have over 1 million products like shoes, furniture, baby and kid stuff, cookware, sporting goods, outdoor decor and did I mention shoes!!! So I'm sure you'll find something you can't live without!

I'm throwing in an additional $25 Amazon.com Gift Card because I love you all so much! (One drawing-- winner takes all!)"

You heard it, right from Joanna's own words on her blog!

A few months ago I was the lucky winner of a random drawing on Joanna's blog and was sent a $25 Amazon.com Gift Card and promptly used the card to buy some books. (My favorite thing!!) When Joanna says you won something, you get it right away. We all like feeling like a winner, and Joanna's current giveaway is a great one.

One of the things I like about this giveaway is you don't have to read all the rules because there aren't any. And then you don't have to tweet this and facebook that and all the other zillion things to even get into most of the other giveaways. I guess I say that with a sourpuss look because I don't tweet and do not have facebook so I am automatically not in the running for most of the giveaways that I run across.

While you are over at The Fifty Factor so you can get in on the awesome giveaway, check out the guy at the top right of that blog. After you leave your comment on Joanna's blog, click on the link to listen to my hubby's music. Maybe you would want to buy a CD like Joanna did and find out how much you like the instrumental jazzy/bluesy listening music on my sweet hubby's CD.

People I Have Met And Admired

Her name was Virginia. She would get a temporary job when her fun money was dwindling.
The rest of the time she traveled to exotic places and stayed active. She enjoyed white water rafting, kayaking, snow and water skiing to name a few of the active sports.

When I met her she began work in a lab at a plant I worked in. I was a quality control supervisor and the lab was in the same department. She was the best lab technician we had seen. When she was at work, she could accomplish an enormous amount of work and keep her concentration at top working level.

A few months after Virginia started working at the plant, I decided I wanted to be like her. When the Christmas holidays drew near, I decorated the huge dry erase board in the open area outside the different departments. On the board I wrote in huge letters "Yes, Santa, there is a Virginia!"

Virginia left that job after about a year so she could continue her travels to distant lands. We all missed her after she left. She had opened our minds to what could be.
Virginia was eighty-three years old when I met her and she had more energy and personality than people half her age. I still have many years to go before I am that age. I fear I won't ever reach that level of living each day to the fullest potential. It is because of Virginia that I have a zest for life and an appreciation of the knowledge and experience of the senior citizens I meet. Happy travels, Virginia, wherever you are.

My Table Top Garden

This is the time of year the gardens are planted.

We have made the choice to watch the animals in the yard and not plant an outside garden. The parsley and oregano from last year survived the snow so they are the only plants outside this year. I guess the rabbits and raccoons aren't into herbs.

This is a picture of my garden. The three things I want the most. I labeled the pots on the picture. I won't be weeding this year. But hopefully we will have plenty of tomatoes and green peppers and the sweet basil I grow all year long.

Walking The Dog

A woman was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sacramento. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.

Everybody got off the plane except one lady who was blind. The man had noticed her as he walked by and could tell the lady was blind because her seeing eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of her throughout the flight.

He could also tell she had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached her, and calling her by name, said "Kathy, we are in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?"

The blind lady said "No thanks, but maybe Buddy would like to stretch his legs".

Picture this: All the people in the gate area came to a compete standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a seeing eye dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines.

Note: This is a joke; it is not a true story.

Picture from everythingweird.com.

Broken

She laid on the floor
Broken in a dozen places
She wouldn't be used anymore
She couldn't be put back together

She was part of a set
They were a striking pair
He will still be around
Doing what he does best

She was swept up in annoyance
Cussed at in bitterness
The little bowl now gone
So long, sugar!

Note: Currier and Ives sugar and creamer
I did not break anything, I just felt like writing about it.

The Rewards Of Motherhood

Teaching you to tie shoe laces
Watching fingers fumble
Until you master tying

Teaching you to appreciate nature
Watching your face display awe
As you accept your place here

Teaching you to wash clothes
Watching your independence
As you make wise decisions

Teaching you to respect others
Watching you practice self discipline
As you compromise with your friends

Teaching you to aim high
Watching you reach your goals
Always pushing yourself for more

Teaching you to find true love
Witnessing your shared vows
As your honeymoon begins

Watching you teach your young ones
As you carry the torch of motherhood
And thank me for the lessons

You are welcome.

Mothers Day

While listening to a lecture in home economics class in ninth grade, her hand stopped writing the notes preparing for the test. She suddenly wrote a name. A girl's name. She did not know anyone with that name. But her heart stopped two beats when she saw the name written on her note pad. She whispered to the girl sitting next to her "This is the name of the little girl I will have some day."

From that day on, she knew positively she would some day be a mother and her first child would be a girl. She already had the name ready!

A few years later when plans were being made for her to marry, she made sure to inform her husband to be that their first child would be a girl and she told him the name of the daughter. Because they were young and they had no idea how long before they would begin a family, he had a difficult time picturing a child, any child, they may have. But he was very content with the name and would be happy if his daughter had that name.

When they knew they were expecting a child she dyed her hair pink and informed all family and friends that the child was a girl. There was no test by the doctor. The color scheme for the baby's room was for a girl. One and a half years after they married their daughter was born. Within hours after the birth the new mother who was nineteen years old, proclaimed "I am a mother now". Her husband and family said "yes, you are." But she said again and again "I am a MOTHER now". For her, this was of such importance it should be announced throughout the city. She knew exactly the kind of mother she wanted to be. She wanted to love her daughter unconditionally, and protect her from harm, and give her freedom to be her own person. She had no idea of the mistakes she would make and the times she would disappoint her daughter but she knew without a single doubt: She loved that child. She was a mother now.

Photo "protecting hands" found on google.

Bring It To Me

Another stubbed toe
Another skinned knee
Run to me

A bad day at school
A test with a bad grade
Come to me

A hard day at work
A missed deadline
Talk to me

Trouble with a spouse
Heartache and shame
Share with me

A doctor's report
Too much pain
Give it to me

I'm your mom.


Photo is called Children playing on Lake Huron found on google.

Cinco de Mayo

Most people don't know that back in 1912 Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York.

This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost.

The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss.

Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day. The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo!!

Do you believe it? Hah! Someone sent this to me in an email. It made me laugh so I decided to share it here.

Growing up in southern California, I learned to use tortillas to scoop food instead of a fork. I was farmed out often to spend a few days here and a week there with people willing to take me. So I learned many different customs and stayed with families of various nationalities and customs. I can still remember the first time a wonderful Mexican family showed me at their dinner table how to eat rice and beans with the tortilla. I was probably four years old. When I got older, Cinco de Mayo was celebrated in a big way throughout southern California. I am not living there now, but I bring the traditions with me to the mid west and enjoy them in our little hippie house in a happy way.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo, todos!!

Rock Star Extraordinaire

Have you seen this video? One of our friends who still lives in San Diego sent this to me. We moved here from San Diego two years ago.

A Good Neighbor

You were walking in front of me.
I was walking slowly amidst a group
People talking quietly while
walking through the cemetery

You continued walking and then
you turned around
looking directly at me
And then you smiled

How Can That BE??
Your smile was huge
And then you winked
How Could you wink??

My walking became even slower
I stumbled slightly on a stone
Suddenly I was very tired
I stepped off the footpath


The group of mourners passed me
They seemed to all know each other
I don't know how they knew you
But this was a lot of people

Suddenly I was far from the group
You were by my side
An amused look on your face
Then you winked again

Your hand gesture led me to follow
We walked to your house
Around to the back yard
And then you pointed

I knelt in the flower bed
And dug in the soft soil
I was rewarded with a box
The size of a cigar box

I opened the box and gasped
There were hundred dollar bills
Hundreds of hundred dollar bills
You winked and walked away

You had been my next door neighbor
For many years
We weren't close friends
All those years

When you died I was surprised
You looked the picture of health
Your funeral was lovely
Your house has already been sold

Thank you for sharing the money
Thank you for being a good neighbor
I hope you rest well now
I will see you again some day.